Adventure with Adults Living with Psychiatric Disabilities.

Out Doors Inc. is a community-managed mental health organization in Victoria (Australia) that provides psychosocial rehabilitation to adults with mental health needs through outdoor adventure and other recreation experiences. This paper focuses on Out Door Inc.'s Going Places Program. The program, which ranges from 1 day to 4 months, is based on the belief that play, recreation, and outdoor adventure help to integrate mind, emotions, and body and are valuable parts of a holistic approach to personal development and mental health. Participants apply on their own and are not "referred." The 4-month program is a closed group of 12 men and women aged 18 and upwards, broadly fitting the category of being disabled by mental illness. Six levels of increasing challenge accommodate people's generally low levels of fitness and confidence. The focus is on abilities rather than disabilities, with a heavy reliance on the experiential learning model. Participants aim to be more self-sufficient, and the transfer of learning to their daily lives is an important program theme. Going Places makes it clear that it is not part of the medical system; it does not provide "treatment" or "therapy." This helps to ensure psychological safety, since many clients associate the word therapy with compulsory treatment, loss of personal dignity, and the therapist's exertion of power over them. Going Places shares common ground with those who do "adventure therapy" but its position acknowledges one of the main demands of people with mental health needs: that professionals work together to provide continuity of service and choices in a way that respects people as the experts in their own lives. (TD)